A Kansas man was arrested Thursday while crossing the border from Mexico back into the United States after being indicted by a federal grand jury for stealing 41 firearms from a gun store in Raytown, Missouri, officials stated.
A federal grand jury indictment was unsealed Friday, charging Frank Guereca, 22, of Olathe, with one count of stealing firearms from a federal firearms licensee. Guereca made his initial court appearance in El Paso, Texas, today in the Western District of Texas.
“Today’s charges demonstrate the power of crime gun intelligence and cooperation with Mexican law enforcement to stem the flow of firearms from the United States into Mexico — where they arm the violent cartels that flood our communities with deadly drugs,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. “By submitting information about recovered firearms to ATF’s eTrace system, Mexican law enforcement helped us link the alleged theft of firearms in Missouri to their international transport and recovery in Mexico.”
The federal indictment alleges that Guereca, aiding and abetting others, stole the firearms on June 16, 2023. All of the stolen firearms were pistols of various manufacturers and calibers.
According to court documents, Guereca and at least two others used a stolen U-Haul to conduct the firearms theft.
One of the stolen pistols from the gun store was recovered in Tracy, California, on Nov. 14, 2023. A second stolen pistol was recovered in Chihuahua, Mexico, on Dec. 19, 2023. A third stolen pistol was recovered in Juarez, Mexico, on Feb. 6.
Guereca was arrested Thursday as he attempted to cross back into the United States from Mexico.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection records, Guereca had crossed the border approximately 20 times since the burglary and theft on June 16, 2023.
ATF and the Raytown Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Bradley K. Kavanaugh for the Western District of Texas is prosecuting the case.